Biosecurity researcher Steph Guerra of the RAND Corporation warns that AI models demonstrated in an August 2026 Science study can already design novel viruses, and argues a narrowing window remains to build safeguards before the capability becomes more accessible to bad actors. She proposes a layered defense strategy of mandatory gene-synthesis screening, digital controls on viral training datasets, and stronger disease-surveillance and attribution systems. Guerra emphasizes that the tools involved currently require elite scientific expertise, but that this barrier will not last indefinitely.
